South-East leads the way for eating frozen meals

A new poll conducted by a 24 hour delivery service in the UK has revealed that the majority of Britons eat frozen meals at least three times a week.

What’s more, the research revealed which of the regions eat the most frozen food, with those in the South-East averaging as many as five unhealthy but convenient frozen meals per week.

In order to coincide with the upcoming National Frozen Food Day on March 6, a new study undertaken by a 24 hour delivery service offering its customers the opportunity to order absolutely anything they require, providing it’s legal, has aimed to investigate how much Britons rely on frozen meals as a result of their hectic and busy lifestyles.

Researchers at Jinn (www.jinnapp.com) polled a total of 3,149 UK-based adults, all of whom were aged 21 and over for the study. Respondents were evenly spread across the 12 different regions of the UK in order to generate as valid a set of results as possible.

Initially, respondents were asked to factor out any frozen vegetables or frozen homemade meals, and estimate how often per week they eat frozen meals. The vast majority (72%) stated they ate frozen foods at least three times a week or more, 17% stated it was around 2 times a week, 7% answered once a week and the remaining 4% said they never eat frozen food.

Intrigued to investigate how reliance on frozen food differs throughout the UK, researchers decided to uncover the regions the most likely to turn to a frozen meal instead of cooking from scratch, as well as the top frozen food choices favoured by each area of the country. The amount of times individuals admitted they eat frozen meals, as well as the most popular frozen meals emerging from that area, were revealed as follows:

1. South East – 5 times a week (Curry and rice)

2. London – 4 times a week (Pizza)

3. Scotland – 4 times a week (Curry and rice)

4. North East – 4 times a week (Meat pies)

5. North West – 3 times a week (Lasagne)

6. East Midlands – 3 times a week (Pizza)

7. South West – 3 times a week (Chinese noodles)

8. Northern Ireland – 3 times a week (Pizza)

9. East of England – 3 times a week (Pizza)

10. Yorkshire – 3 times a week (Battered fish)

11. West Midlands – twice a week (Curry and rice)

12. Wales – once a week (Pasta carbonara)

Of respondents polled, the majority (79%) admitted that they only ever consume frozen meals on weekdays, and prefer to cook homemade meals from scratch during weekends. More than half (52%) also revealed that they would prefer to eat fresher meals, but their busy working lives prevent them from doing so, and frozen meals are a ‘quick fix’.

Mario Navarro, founder of www.Jinnapp.com commented: “For those in full time employment or looking after a family, it’s all too easy to forget about nutrition when you’ve had a busy day and just want something quick and easy to eat. Cooking a meal from scratch is usually the last thing on our minds and popping a frozen meal in the microwave seems like the simplest alternative, but at what cost to our health? There are, of course, healthy frozen meal options, but our findings seem to show that the dishes high in fat, sodium and carbohydrates are still the most popular.’

He continued: “Frozen pre-packaged meals can be great but they shouldn’t solely be depended on. There are other options if you are running around with no time to cook. You could try batch cooking such health dishes as chilli, stews and curries to freeze and save for busy periods. Alternatively, many food delivery services, which have traditionally been associated with foods lacking in nutrition, offer healthy options too. Here at Jinn we have seen a huge increase in city workers and busy families ordering balanced, delicious meals such as sushi, grilled steaks and fresh salads from a wide range of restaurants delivered straight to the front door. There should be no reason to have to rely on frozen foods for every meal now!”

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